Are Businesses Releasing Unfinished Products Too Early?

One of the questions put to Google’s Pierre Far at the Ask the Search Engines panel at BrightonSEO last week was of whether Google test new software products and redesigns before releasing them.

Of course, the answer was ‘yes’ – and the questioner was sternly instructed how to ensure Google pay attention to their feedback – see minute 24 of the full panel video for Pierre’s response.

“Didn’t You Test This?”

Martin Belam recently wrote an article about Beta tests, specifically of a new threaded comments system on the Guardian’s website. He cited reader comments along the lines of “didn’t you test this?” – where the answer being that the software they’re using is, in fact, the test. The user in question hadn’t realised that they were viewing one of just six (from 1.4 million) articles that had been chosen to test the new system.

Another notable example of how early releases lead to criticism include BBC Sport, who had to post a lengthy blog post in February in reaction to a huge amount of negative feedback from users. Facebook is similarly often subject to negativity from users after updates.

Releasing software too early can damage your brand’s reputation. If early users find your product too hard to use, they may walk away – and take a lot of persuading to come back.

Trying to manage user expectation is one way around this…but users don’t always realise they are viewing a beta and may assume any problems are consistent across all products and services.

Our Software Testing training is ISEB/ISTQB Accredited and includes Software Testing Foundation training, Software Testing Intermediate training and Advanced certificates for test managers, test analysts and technical test analysts.

Here some tips for making use of an early release model: Read the rest of "How to Make an Early Release Model Work"

Silicon Beach Training provide a host of great mobile development courses, including iPhone App training, Android App Training and Mobile Web Design courses. However, every new app needs to be tested thoroughly before launch.  With a wide variety of operating systems, screen resolutions and hardware combinations desktop software testing needs to accommodate for. This, however, is a mere drop in the ocean when compared to the multitude of mobile platforms and smartphones that need to be tested before launching an app.

With apps becoming increasingly popular and complex the need for testing has never been higher, but with so many smartphone platforms, including iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile (and then there’s the tablets!), each of which running different software versions, button layouts, screen sizes and sporting different hardware, covering all of your bases is becoming a time consuming and expensive task.

As well as the software and hardware differences between devices you also have to take into account the number of mobile phone networks that the devices operate on. This makes the number of unique combinations to test vast! So buying one of every type of phone isn’t a practical solution. Especially as there are over 350 types of Android device alone!

Luckily there are other ways which when used will bring your testing time and expenditure down considerably. Here are seven of our favourites: Read the rest of "App Testing for Smartphones and Mobiles"

by Alpha Beta Gamma on Flickr

Alpha Testing Definition –

Alpha Testing is like performing usability testing, which is normally done by the in-house developers. On rare occasions Alpha Testing is done by the client or an outsider. Once the alpha testing version is released, it’s then called the Alpha Release.

Beta Testing Definition –

Beta Testing is done by a small number of end users before it is delivered; the change request is fixed if the user gives feedback or reports a defect. Once the beta testing version is released, it’s called the Beta Release.

Gamma Testing Definition –

Gamma testing is done once the software is ready for release with specified requirements. This testing is done directly by skipping all the in-house test activities.